Crunch Time: End-of-game Situations

When the clock is winding down at the end of a game and the score is close, emotions rise. Fans, coaches and players all get a bit more excited. You can’t afford to do the same. There are some techniques you can use to ensure you’ll remain level-headed when most others around you are losing their composure.

Talk with your partner during a timeout. Almost inevitably, in most sports there will be a timeout by one of the teams toward the end of the game. That’s a great time to get together with your partner(s) to discuss the situation and how you’re going to handle it. Review such things as court/field coverage, who is responsible for the call when the clock becomes a factor on a last-second shot and how many timeouts remain for each team. By going through the final seconds mentally before they happen, you’re more likely to react dispassionately when they do.

Talk with the other members of the officiating team. If you’re the referee or lead official, take the time to review procedures with the other members of the officiating team, such as table personnel in basketball or the chain gang in football. If applicable, remind the timer to watch the official responsible for starting the clock and start it only when that official signals. Also remind the timer to watch for the officials stopping the clock. Timers are often from the home school and can get caught up in the emotions, especially if their team just made a last-second shot. The timer must focus on the officials and not celebrate, because the other team may quickly request and be granted a timeout with little time left. It’s extremely frustrating when you signal for the clock to stop and the timer isn’t paying attention. Remedy that by reminding the timer to continually watch the officials.

If there are scorers from each team, make sure the scorebooks add up correctly. That’s the time to fix scorebook problems, not after a last-second play happens. By talking to the table personnel about procedures, etc., you’ll ensure they don’t get caught up in the emotion.

Talk to yourself. Relax by taking a few deep breaths. At the same time, mentally review the potential play scenarios. That way, you’ll be ready when things do happen.

Talk to both teams. Usually teams are coming out of post-timeout huddles near the end of close games. That’s a great time to talk to both teams. Remind them about pertinent information, such as how many timeouts remain, and tell them to keep their composure in an emotional situation. A simple statement like, "Keep your heads on straight," can go a long way toward planting the seed of good sportsmanship.

Keep calling them. Some end-of-game situations develop into actionless contests. For example, in basketball it’s not fun to shoot lots of free throws in the last few minutes, but some games just go that way. Stay with it. You’ve got to keep calling fouls if they exist. Trouble starts and fights erupt when officials ignore fouls with seconds left, hoping the game will end. Yes, you’ll be there an extra few minutes, but the alternative – a bench-clearing brawl as time expires – is worse.

Signal immediately. No matter what happens in an end of game situation, signal immediately. Don’t rush, however; you’ve still got to mentally process the information to make a good call. But once you’ve done that, don’t hesitate with a signal. For example, in basketball, if a shot attempt is after time expired, signal emphatically immediately as the horn sounds and the ball is still in the player’s hands. If the player follows through with the shot and it’s no good, there’s nothing to argue about. If the player follows through with the shot and it enters the basket, you’ve already signaled that is didn’t count, which helps sell it and shows everyone you are confident in the call. Waiting to wave it off until after the ball enters the basket creates confusion and chaos.

Get off the court or field. If you’ve done everything correctly in the end of game situation, there’s nothing more for you to do but get off the court or field. If there’s a scorer’s table involved, do not go over to it unless there’s a major scoring or timing problem to solve. Emotions run high at the end of close games and you want to avoid upset coaches, players and fans. In most cases, there’s nothing left for you to do at the scorer’s table.

Once you’ve made your end of game ruling and you’re confident the appropriate personnel saw your signal correctly, get off the court or field and go to the locker room.

Because end of game situations are highly emotional, think of your own safety. Fans sometimes rush the area, usually in celebration. Unfortunately, sometimes fans rush the area to get at the officials. If you are closer to the locker room than your partner(s) when the game ends, wait to make sure your partner(s) gets off the court safely. Ideally, game management or security personnel are waiting for you just off the court or field to make sure you get to the locker room safely. Use common sense and avoid trouble when leaving.

CyberChat with Randy Christal This Monday

Randy Christal, a highly respected NCAA baseball umpire, football referee and vice chair of NASO will be the NASO CyberChat guest this Monday, Feb. 17, from 11:00 a.m. to Noon, Central Standard Time.

Members are encouraged to go on-line at the NASO CyberChat and ask Christal questions about his officiating experiences and career. His advice as a longtime clinician and consultant is highly respected.

Recognized by his peers as one of the nation's top NCAA Division I baseball umpires and football referees, Randy began officiating baseball in 1968, football in 1970. He has worked 24 consecutive NCAA Division I regionals and eight College World Series (1978-79, 1982-83, 1986-87, 1990, 1996), including the plate for the '87 title game.

His football career is just as distinguished. Currently he works the referee position in the Big 12 and has refereed some highly visible games. The past seven seasons have seen Christal work the 1996 Rose Bowl, 1997 Sugar Bowl (national title game), 1998 Las Vegas Bowl, 1999 Big 12 championship, 2000 Outback Bowl, 2001 Seattle Bowl and this year’s BCS Championship Game played at the Fiesta Bowl. Christal also worked in the now defunct XFL.

Join NASO and Referee by logging on and participating in a Q and A cyberchat with Randy.

NOTE: The intent of the NASO CyberChat benefit is to conduct an on-line interview and it is not intended to become a forum for debate among chatroom visitors due to the limited timeframe. Thank you for your anticipated cooperation.

Simply follow the instructions below to logon.

NASO CyberChat Login Instructions

1. To enter NASO CyberChat:
You must use Internet Explorer, go to URL: http://chat.naso.org
Enter PASSWORD "cyberchat" to access the NASO CyberChat.
Enter a nickname, a.k.a., screen name, i.e. RefMan no spaces between words, you can use a Capital letter as a word separator.
Enter your e-mail Address: This is optional.
Choose the Room CyberChat to enter the NASO CyberChat. You can also enter the Members Only chat room for open chat.
Browser Interface is defaulted to HTML, that is automatic.
Click on Enter the Chat to login to CyberChat.

2. Using the Chat Room:
General
You can chat by typing in the field at the bottom of the chat window and pressing Enter.

Sending Links
By default the chat prevents you from submitting messages containing HTML tags. However if you want to send links simply write the full URL, e.g. http://www.server.com/ or https://secure.com/page/. The URLs will be automatically converted to hyperlinks.

Controls
There several buttons at the bottom of the chat window:
CLEAR - clears the chat window;
NICKNAME - allows you to change your nickname;
OPTIONS - sets session options: 1.SET FOCUS ON NEW MSG - when checked every time a message is displayed the chat window is brought to the top; 2.I AM AWAY - when checked you are marked as being away from the computer; 3. SCROLL ON NEW MSG - when checked the chat window scrolls to the bottom when a new message is displayed. Some browsers (especially on Mac) do not interpret correctly the JavaScript scroll command and in that case it is useful to turn that option off.
IGNORE - gives you the option to ignore (not see) the messages from the selected users.
WHOS IN - displays all users in the public rooms;
MSG BOX - enables you to create a personal message box and to leave messages to a user who has visited the chat. The messages are saved on the server and will be seen by the user the next time he enters the chat, no matter if he logs in with a different Nickname. This function requires cookies to be enabled.
LOG OFF - logs you off from the current room;
HELP - displays this help;
CLOSE - loges you off and closes the chat window;

Budget, LOAN Expansion Highlight Dallas Board Meeting

The NASO Board of Directors held its semi-annual meeting in Dallas, Feb. 1-2. A packed agenda reflected the increased pace of association operations.

The board approved the 2003 budget as submitted by the staff and noted the early, favorable results of NASO’s involvement with the V Foundation. The board approved the 2003 NASO Gold Whistle Award honoree and approval was given to a second NASO Medallion Award honoree.

The board endorsed expansion plans for the Local Officials’ Administration Network (LOAN) program. Those plans call for two levels of LOAN membership and significant additions to the benefit package. The board also signaled continued support for the Officiating Development Alliance and the NASO Foundation, both being programs that further NASO’s strategic reach.

Plans for the 2003 conference in Portland, Ore., were reviewed and the board briefly discussed potential themes and locations for the 2004 conference. Board members were asked to submit their thoughts, for future consideration, concerning developing a branding strategy for the association. The next meeting of the board is June 21 in Portland prior to the opening of the annual conference.

How to Select a Tax Advisor

By Hal Kaye

Tax advisors come with many different types of credentials and some do not have credentials. Tax advisors can be certified public accountants, attorneys, enrolled agents, public accountants or accountants. All states require credentials for certified public accountants, attorneys and enrolled agents. A few states require credentials for other types of tax advisors.

STEP ONE

I strongly recommend that you consider one of the types of tax advisors that are required to have credentials. By no means am I implying that other types of tax advisors are not acceptable or that credentialed advisors are better than non-credentialed, only that when you start your initial search your likelihood for success is greater with the credentialed tax advisor. When discussing credentials, I am referring to licenses that are issued by the governing state. These licenses by no means represent competency, only control by the state. Such licenses require a certain amount of continuing education.

STEP TWO

Now you have decided what professional you are going to interview as a potential tax advisor. For this exercise let's assume you select a certified public accountant (CPA). A CPA is generally looked upon as the best selection for a tax advisor.

Several questions must be asked of yourself: What CPA do I interview? The majority of new clients a CPA receives are word of mouth referrals. It is useful to ask friends, fellow officials, co-workers and others to refer you to a CPA.

What am I going to use the CPA for? Tax preparation? Tax planning? Estate planning? Most CPAs have extensive tax knowledge; however, areas beyond tax are specialty areas and you must be sure the individual you are going to interview specializes in the areas you need.

Once you have decided whom you will interview you must be prepared to ask the CPA, at a minimum, the following questions:

• What is the tax practitioner's educational background and experience? Is the advisor affiliated with any tax-related industry or professional association?

• Will the interviewer also be the person who prepares the return? If an associate fills out the forms, ask about that person's credentials, too.

• Can the preparer be reached year-round or at tax time only? Remember that you may need tax advice or help with questions from the IRS at any time of the year.

• What is the preparer's specialty and will it fit your tax needs? How many tax returns does the advisor prepare each year and what types are they?

• How is the accuracy of the preparer's work checked? Will one or more people review it? Will they check for mathematical errors as well as mistakes in tax rule interpretation?

• Will the preparer accompany you to the IRS in case of an audit? Is the advisor legally approved to represent you before the IRS? Is there an additional charge?

• How is the fee determined? Ask for an estimate of the total bill and be sure you understand what services are included beyond the preparation of your return, and which are excluded.

• Will the preparer provide references? Ask for and check references from two or three clients with tax situations similar to yours. Contact the Better Business Bureau for a reliability report on practitioners that you consider.

After you get all of the above information you must consider the person's business style and attitude. Does it match yours? Is he formal or informal, conservative or aggressive? When you have all of this information compiled you must then decide if this is the right fit for you. I strongly suggest interviewing several CPAs. The bottom line is that you must have a good feeling that it is right. If not, move on.

Get Involved! Grow NASO Membership

There’s more than one way to be part of the NASO membership campaign in 2003. Two different and unique programs are being offered and you can be part of both.

NASO Bobblehead deadline is April 10. By now you should have received the NASO Bobblehead offer in the mail. Just return the nomination form that was included in the promotional piece. Submit the names of two people you think will be good NASO members, prioritize your choice of bobblehead on the back of the nomination form and mail it in the provided envelope that is part of the promotional piece before April 10, 2003. From all nomination forms received, NASO will give away 500 baseball, 500 basketball and 500 football bobblehead dolls. These are exclusive, limited-edition dolls that stand eight inches high.

You can even register online. Click here http://naso.org/bobblehead/index.html.

NASO board members got a preview look at each doll during their recent meeting in Dallas and were ecstatic! The quality on these dolls is second-to-none. The same company producing many of Major League Baseball’s and Disney’s bobbleheads manufactures the NASO dolls.

Money Matters Program. When you receive your renewal notice you can save $5.00 by simply sending NASO the names of two more potential new members. Include the names on the provided insert with your renewal statement, send your renewal payment and enjoy the savings.

The NASO membership campaign is critical to the association’s growth. Demonstrate your pride in NASO by introducing your friends and associates to NASO. Just send us the names and we’ll do the rest.

Each nominee receives a personal letter of invitation that mentions that you believe they are a good candidate for NASO membership. In addition, nominees receive the new NASO membership brochure describing NASO’s mission, benefits and services.

Your support is appreciated.

Legislators Address Assaults

As state legislators gather across the nation this spring to enact new laws, NASO members are reminded that assault protection is still a high priority with the association. Protecting officials from physical abuse is critical to maintaining the proper atmosphere at any sporting event. Assaults against officials are the number-one reason many experienced officials have indicated a desire to retire from officiating. The trend needs to be stopped before the number of officials dwindles to a critical low.

Members are encouraged to contact their legislators asking for support of any measure presented in their state legislature on this matter.

Presently, the 16 states that have legislation "on the books" that specifically support sports officials are: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

NASO is aware of efforts to enact legislation currently in Illinois – where the past two years the legislature has passed bills only to have the former governor veto them. With a new governor now in office, it appears likely that legislation may be attainable.

Also North Dakota has a bill before committee and in Washington a resolution, similar to the one enacted by the Utah legislature in 2001, has been submitted.

Members are encouraged to visit the NASO website for more information on how to lobby their legislator.

"Assaults on sports officials continue to increase and we must continue the efforts to educate and end this form of acting out by coaches, fans and others," says NASO President Barry Mano.

March Issue Mailed Soon

The March issue of REFEREE will be in the mail soon and has lots of important news and information.

Here’s a preview:

Look for your issue of REFEREE any day. www.referee.com